Liquid heater



Patented July 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID HEATER Lawrence E. Riemenschneider, Chelsea, Mich.

Application September 14, 1945, Serial No. 616,192

Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in heaters for vats, tanks, and other liquid receptacles, being especially designed to keep water tanks for livestock open during freezing weather.

According to the present invention, the heater is designed to be located at the surface of the liquid being heated. Preferably, the heater is positioned on the surface by its own buoyancy. For the reason that electricity is one of the most convenient forms of heat, the heater has been constructed for economical heating of stock tanks fully exposed to the weather through the use of electrical current at an operating cost comparable to other known forms of stock tank heaters. In specific instruction, provisions have been made to assure freedom from corrosion and short circuiting under operating conditions. At the same time the heater may be inexpensively manufactured and is fully automatic in its operation.

Thus, one of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved buoyant liquid heater.

Another object is to provide an improved floating stock tank heater.

Another object is to provide an electric heater for exposed tanks, vats and the like which is maintained at the surface of the liquid being heated.

A still further object is to provide an improved automatically regulated floating heater.

A still further object is to provide an improved heater which may be inexpensively manufactured yet is fully moisture proof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a hermetically sealed electric heater having a, fully enclosed thermostat with exterior means for adjusting the thermostat without any connections with the interior.

These and other objects and advantages residing in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts will be more fully appreciated from the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the heater floated on the surface and shown in partial broken section, and

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the heater It in the illustrated embodiment comprises a lower section l2 preferably in the form of a one-piece stamping or spun metal part, having a recess bottom 14, and annular flange l6, and an annular side I 8 terminating in an angular flange 20. The upper section 22 may be similar in construction to the lower section I2 with an annular flange EM. By having the sections l2 and 22 or onepiece construction, the interior chamber 26 of the heater may be sealed by a suitable gasket 28 clamped between the flanges 2!] and 24. The only openings provided in either of the sections !2 22 comprise the sealed opening at 3% to receive the jewel 32 located above the lamp 34 employed to indicate the state of operation of the heater, and the opening at 36 sealed by the terrule 38 in which the insulated conductor 48 is expanded to completely fill and seal.

The conductor 49 carries the insulated wires 42 and M with the wire 42 directly connected to one end or the resistant heating wire or element All. As shown the wire 44 is connected at 48 to a thermostatically controlled on and off switch 5Q of suitable construction, as for example, a ten ampere micro-snap action switch. A conductor 52 connects th switch 58 in series with the other end of the heating wire 45.

The installation and insulation of the heating wire 45 is advantageously provided by stringing loose ceramic beads 54 upon the wire 415. This assembly is inserted in the annular channel 55 defined b the flange l6 and the side it. Preferably, the diameter Of the beads 54 is slightly less than the width of the channel 56 so the assembly will be snugly held in position. After the heating wire 46 has been inserted in the channel 55, a rope 55! of suitable fire-proof fibre having a high insulating value is packed into the channel to hold the heating wire assembly in position and to exclude the wire 46 from the air in the chamber as well as to insulate the heating wire from the chamber 26.

To avoid all openings or connections through the one-piece lower section l2, the switch 50 is carried on a bracket 60 which is slightly inclined to the bottom I4 except for a portion at 62 which is welded or soldered to the upper side of the bottom M at the center thereof. Also welded or soldered at one end to the same side of the bottom I4 is a bi-metallic strip 64. The secured end 6'6 of the strip 54 is adjacent to channel 56 so as not to be afiected by the adjustment of the bracket 50 as will be hereinafter described. The temperature deflected end of the strip 64 engages with an axially moveable button 68 on the switch 50.

Adjustment between the strip 64 and the button 68 is provided through a pair of L-shaped brackets 10 and i2 welded or soldered to the under side of the bottom I4. It will be noted that the bracket 12 is attached adjacent to the portion 62 of the bracket 60 and located centrally of the bottom 14. A bolt M extends between the bracket I and 72. By loosening and tightening the thumb nuts IS, the bolt M will place a variable stress upon the brackets and 12. This stress will cause the central portion of the bottom 14 to be deflected or warped which in turn moves the bracket 60 to Vary the relative position of the strip 64 and the button 58. Through this arrangement an adjustment of the thermostatic mechanism within the chamber 28 is controlled through the deflection of the bottom Hi with manipulation entirel located on the outside of the heater.

A sack 18 may contain a suitable dehydrant such as silica jell to absorb any moisture within the chamber 26 that may be trapped at the time of assembly or may seep into the interior over a long period of use.

The lamp 34 is connected in parallel with the conductors 42 and 52 to indicate through the jewel 32 the state of operation of the heater. A suitable ground wire 80 is preferably employed for safety purposes.

It will be appreciated that the temperature of the liquid in the recess defined by the bottom 14 will control the operation of the thermostat. The liquid at this point will have the highest temperature and will be subject to less fluctuation than at any other point. A good circulation of the liquid around the sides of the heater will take place, however, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. The flange 20 appears to aid circulation.

In practice it has been found that a 700 watt heating element provided in a heater construction as above described may be economically used to keep standard size stock tanks open during freezing weather. Because it is floated on the surface, the heater will follow the level of the tank. Also there is no opportunity for the heater to burn up should the tank go dry because of the location of the thermostat relative to the heating element.

It is to be understood that devices according to the present invention may be generally employed for the heating of liquids and is not confined to live stock tanks although they are particularly suited for such use.

I have thus described my invention what I claim is new and desire to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A liquid heater adapted to be floated upon the surface of a liquid being heated and comprising a fully sealed hollow casing, said casing having a portion of channel section depending below the liquid level, and a heating element located in said channel section portion.

2. A buoyant liquid heater comprising 2. hermetically sealed casing, an electric heater element disposed in said casing below the normal liquid level, a thermostat within said casing for I controlling said electric heater elements, said thermostat being in intimate association with a portion of said casing below the normal liquid level and directly adjacent said heating element, and means insulating said heating element from said thermostat except through the wall of said casing.

3. An electric stock tank heater comprising a sealed casing adapted to float from the surface of the tank and be partly submerged, and an electric heating element located in the submerged portion of said casing and directly adjacent the exterior casing wall which is in direct contact with the liquid.

4. An electric stock tank heater comprising a pan shaped casing having a recessed bottom, a channel defined around said bottom, a heating element disposed in said channel, means insulating said element from the interior of said casing, said channel being disposed below the normal water level with said casing floated on the surface.

5. A thermostatically controlled electric heating device, an electric switch, a temperature responsive device constructed and arranged to engage said switch to actuate the same, a distortable wall upon which one of said elements is mounted, and means located on the opposite side of said wall for distorting said wall to vary the adjustment between said switch and said thermoresponsive means.

LAWRENCE E. RIEMENSCHNEIDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,430,548 Hogue Oct. 3, 1922 1,837,000 Wertz Dec. 15, 1931 1,909,973 Lewis et a1 May 23, 1933 2,133,388 Henderson Oct. 18, 1938 

